The present invention relates to a nasal and/or rhinopharyngeal tampon.
In order to control intranasal and rhinopharyngeal bleeding after surgery, traumas or epistaxis of any kind, it is known to resort to tampons constituted by a long strip of sterile gauze which is forced into the affected cavity after widening the nostril with appropriate divaricators: this is highly traumatic both due to the truly conspicuous amount of material inserted, which often considerably alarms the patient, and due to the unpleasant bleeding which often occurs during the removal of the tampon.
Tampons made of spongy material are also used; these tampons, due to their large volume, are difficult to insert and in any case are unable to effectively compress the upper regions of the nasal septum.
Tampons made of gelatinous material are also used; they become impregnated with blood and slightly increase in volume, but even these tampons are unable to effectively compress the internal structure of the nose, and their removal can often cause bleeding.
As an alternative to these tampons, bags are currently used which are inserted in the nostril in deflated condition and are inflated, and subsequently sealed, in place: these bags, usually made of silicone resins or rubber latex, do not have the drawbacks of gauze tampons but have problems, since they are unable to effectively and uniformly compress the cavity, which has convoluted and nonuniform shape and dimensions, in which they are inserted.